Irving council amends PUD 6, removes casino language after hours of testimony; rezoning passes 6-3

The Irving City Council voted 6-3 on March 20 to approve changes to ordinance language governing PUD 6 and to adopt a companion zoning change that reclassifies Tract A, sectors 1 and 2, from transit-oriented mixed use to high-intensity mixed use. Council members also removed explicit references to a destination resort and casino gaming from the draft amendment earlier in the day after extensive public comment and a Sands representative asked that the casino language be withdrawn.

Why it matters: The tract, part of the former Texas Stadium site, is one of the largest undeveloped parcels inside Irving. Supporters say the new zoning can enable large-scale mixed-use development and jobs; opponents warned the amendment was rushed and called for casino gambling to be put on an explicit prohibited list so the city cannot be exposed if state law changes.

Council and staff said the adopted package includes multiple procedural safeguards not in the current code. Before any large-scale project could break ground the city requires adoption of detailed development standards and a regulating plan that must be approved by council; those steps set out building standards, street sections, permitted uses and traffic, pedestrian and public-space requirements. Assistant City Manager Philip Sanders reviewed the redline changes for council at the meeting and said the removal of casino-specific permitted uses was part of the amendments under consideration.

Public comments: Seventy-six speakers were on the sign-up list and dozens used their time at the podium. Many residents, clergy and nonprofit leaders urged the council to prohibit casino gambling in PUD 6 and across Irving; others said they favored development and jobs but asked for more time and transparency from both the city and the landowner. Cheryl Bain, director of the Texas Anti Predatory Gambling Alliance, thanked the council after the casino language was withdrawn and urged a permanent ban on casinos to protect families and vulnerable residents. Several speakers representing the University of Dallas and nearby schools urged the council to consider proximity to campuses and schools in any future approvals.

Council debate and vote: Supporters of the ordinance said the new high-intensity mixed-use classification gives the city stronger tools than the current transit-oriented designation to require high-quality design, detailed public realm plans and binding development standards. Opponents said the timeline was rushed, that the public had not been given adequate time to review late changes, and that Sands and other outside interests had exerted undue influence.

In the end the council approved the amended ordinance (item 45) and companion rezoning (item 46) on 6-3 votes. The council majority said the package improves the city’s ability to shape any future development because the ordinance requires council-approved development standards and a regulating plan before projects move forward. Dissenting members said they wanted more community engagement and study before making such a major change.

Votes at a glance (formal actions recorded in the meeting): - Item 45 (amend PUD ordinance; removal of destination-resort/casino language as amended): approved 6-3 (outcome: approved). - Item 46 (rezoning Tract A, sectors 1 and 2, from transit-oriented mixed use to high-intensity mixed use): approved 6-3 (outcome: approved). Other notable zoning and land-use votes taken earlier in the meeting (summary): - Item 28 (comprehensive-plan amendment for 4401 N. State Highway 161 to allow data center uses): passed 5-4 (approved). - Item 29 (companion zoning change for 4401 N. State Highway 161 to allow data center/industrial): passed 5-4 (approved). - Item 34 (conditional use permit for outdoor vehicle storage at Strickland Plaza): council initially voted to deny; that motion failed 4-5; subsequent motion to approve passed 5-4 (approved). - Item 35 (PUD/planned unit development for restaurant with on-premise alcohol at 8350 N. MacArthur Blvd): passed 8-1 (approved). - Item 36 (zoning change at 2705 N. Belt Line — neighborhood commercial): passed unanimously (approved). - Item 37 (comprehensive-plan amendment at 1660 North Westridge Circle to manufacturing warehouse): denied 8-1 (failed); companion item 38 was denied/pulled accordingly. - Item 42 (detailed site plan restaurant with alcohol at 7600 N. MacArthur Blvd, Suite 110): passed 7-2 (approved).

What the council required next: The amended PUD language requires that before a regulating plan or any building permits can be accepted the council must adopt detailed development standards and a regulating plan for the tract. Those standards are intended to cover building materials, massing, street sections, landscaping and public-space requirements, and they must be adopted at council after additional staff review and public hearings. Council members who voted for the rezoning emphasized that those subsequent steps, which will include traffic and infrastructure analyses, are where the city will set binding controls on an eventual project.

What residents asked for: Dozens of speakers asked the council to make casino gambling an explicit prohibited use citywide or at least within PUD 6, not merely to have the Sands remove the wording from the draft. Many residents also pressed for more thorough impact studies (traffic, crime, human-trafficking risk, and school proximity) and for more time for public engagement before the council took final action on the zoning category.

Looking ahead: The council’s action changed the legal framework for development on the tract but does not authorize any specific project. If a developer brings a regulating plan and development standards, those documents will return to council for review and vote. Any future request that plainly relies on casino gaming to make a project economically viable would still be subject to additional steps, and several council members said they would want both more detail and more community outreach at that time.

Ending note: The decision followed multiple hearings and a town-hall style session earlier in March. The Sands representative asked the city earlier in the day to remove explicit casino language from the draft; citizens and institutional opponents pressed the council to go further and place an outright prohibition on casino uses in the ordinance. The council majority approved the revised ordinance and rezoning while requiring future, council-adopted standards and a regulating plan before any development could begin.